Disney time-share chief pitches for political contributions

[crazy4wdw]

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Disney time-share chief pitches for political contributions
posted by Jason Garcia on Sep 10, 2009 10:22:47 AM

The latest edition of "Disney Files," the magazine for Disney time-share owners, contains an unusual missive from Disney Vacation Club President Jim Lewis: A pitch for political contributions.

In a letter on page 2 of the magazine, Lewis urges Vacation Club members to donate money to the political-action committee of the American Resort Development Association, the time-share industry trade group. Lewis is in the midst of a two-year term as chairman of ARDA.

Accompanying the magazine is a payment slip and an envelope seeking contributions of $3 or more to ARDA-ROC PAC (which stands for American Resort Development Association Resort Owners Coalition Political Action Committee). Lewis' pitch was reported by DVCNews.com, where there is an ongoing debate about whether it was appropriate to include in a Vacation Club members magazine.

Lewis notes that ARDA's political committee pays for lobbyists and lawyers in Washington, D.C. and state capitals around the country, research to support industry lobbying positions and donations to local, state and federal politicians who support the industry. Lewis credits the organization for pushing through initiatives such as a 2007 Florida law that provided for more affordable insurance alternatives for sold-out homeowner's associations. (ARDA actually won two major pieces of industry legislation in Florida that year -- one easing requirements on how much property insurance coverage time shares must carry and another allowing time shares to sell travel insurance. A little bit more on that here: Download ARDA2007. And more on another law ARDA helped pass this year here: Download ARDA2009.)

"Year after year, time-share owners are targeted by federal, state and local lawmakers searching for various ways to raise revenue, and this committee is dedicated to protecting your economic interests," Lewis wrote.

"During the year ahead," he added, "ARDA-ROC PAC will work on our behalf on a number of critical efforts, from protecting time-share buyers against predatory lending practices to ensuring that any comprehensive immigration-reform law addresses the economic needs of both future workers and undocumented workers already in the United States."